Ed Christian and Ladarius Phillips allegedly shot & killed

[Townhallsavoy]

http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/Phillips-blog-Why-Why-Why-76843

To all those Alabama fans and others who have, in numerous ways, offered condolences and prayer for the families of the victims of Saturday night's shootings in Auburn, I salute you for your compassion and knowing when rivalries matter and when they don't.


Senior Editor Phillip Marshall

To the much smaller group of people who have sent me messages bordering on gleeful, well, that says a lot about you..

The fact is that the tragedy of Saturday night is not about Auburn University or Auburn, Ala., which has one of the lower crime rates in the state of Alabama and beyond. It is certainly not about the Auburn football team, other than grief-stricken players and coaches.

It's about three young men who lost their lives before they even had an opportunity to live them, another who was fighting for his life on Sunday and two others who were wounded.

It's certainly not about some sort of impact this all could supposedly have on Auburn recruiting. Anyone thinking about that today is thinking about the wrong thing.

It's about Ed Christian, a good and kind person who had to give up football because of a back injury but remained a favorite of his teammates and others in the community. It's not surprising that he is reported to have been trying to be a peacemaker when he died.

It's about Ladarious Phillips who, on a typical day in his senior year at Handley High School, left school at noon and reported to his job delivering and moving furniture to help his disabled mother make ends meet. After that, he lifted weights or ran in preparation for the opportunity that awaited him.

It's about Eric Mack and Xavier Moss, who narrowly avoided losing their lives.

It really doesn't matter which ones were football players, former players or not players at all.

It's about Demario Pitts, who left behind two young children.

It's about John Robertson, fighting for his life in a Birmingham hospital.

It's about devastated families and grieving friends.

It's even about Desmonte Leonard's family, surely grieving, too, because if he is guilty, his life is all but over.

And we all have the same question. Why? Why? Why? And there really is no good answer.

Somber Auburn police chief Tommy Dawson met with reporters early Sunday afternoon.

"It's sickening that these young lives were cut short, and also the shooter is such a young man," Dawson said. "As a society, we have to learn the value of life again. If I could bring them back today for their parents, I would. Unfortunately, I can't do that. To the family of these victims, we're very sorry. We're grieving with you."

What a sad and troubling weekend.

[Token]

It's sad that there is a reason to write this article.  I've said it once, and I'll say it again.  This rivalry needs another extended break.

[Godfather]

It's sad that there is a reason to write this article.  I've said it once, and I'll say it again.  This rivalry needs another extended break.

I agree

[AUChizad]

Pulled mine from here.

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/

Specifically,
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/al/auburn/crime/
vs.
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/al/tuscaloosa/crime/

[War Eagle!!!]

It's sad that there is a reason to write this article.  I've said it once, and I'll say it again.  This rivalry needs another extended break.

As my father says, not every Alabama fan is a redneck, but every redneck is an Alabama fan.

[AUChizad]

Barrett on point.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1216837-auburn-football-shooting-incident-isnt-an-indictment-of-tiger-football-program

Auburn Football: Shooting Incident Isn't an Indictment of Tiger Football Program

Saturday's tragic shooting at an Auburn apartment complex has drawn national headlines. The rampage killed former Tiger football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips and Auburn resident Demario Pitts. In addition, the incident injured current Tiger offensive lineman Eric Mack, along with Xavier Moss and John Robertson.

Some reports of the event, including a story in the New York Times, have used other negative off-field incidents involving the football program to develop context of the shooting rampage.

Those incidents include the recent point-shaving scandal involving Auburn basketball player Varez Ward, last year's armed robbery in which former Auburn players were charged with the crime and a reference to guns and marijuana being part of the "culture around the Auburn football program."

Think about that for a second.

The three victims in this case that are associated with the Auburn football program weren't shaving points, there's no indication that they were robbing anyone, and as far as we know, they weren't under the influence of marijuana nor were they carrying weapons.

So what do those incidents have to do with the tragic events that took place at an Auburn apartment complex on Saturday night?

Nothing.

It's an attempt to add context to an event that doesn't need added context, using events that are taken out of context.

The incident Saturday night isn't an indictment of the Auburn football program and really has nothing to do with it, other than the fact that three of the victims either are or were associated with the program.

According to Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser, one eyewitness claims that the incident started when an unidentified Auburn player made comments about a woman who was with the suspected shooter.

If we start indicting football programs that have players who get in arguments over women, we would indict every team in college football—along with virtually every fraternity, honors society, band, club and every other campus organization.

That's not justification for murder, nor is it an indictment of Auburn's football program in any way, shape or form.

This event tragically cut short the lives of three young men and injured three others. The focus should be on praying for them and their families and finding the person or people responsible, not the Auburn football program.

Comments:

OLD SCHOOL BAMA FAN posted about 1 hour ago Contributor I

    Dissenting Opinion: This was a tragic event and the responsibility lies with the shooter solely. This does not take away from Auburn being a great university no more than the Va. Tech shooting did to it. However, I do not see the type of mentoring programs done at Alabama being done at Auburn for these young athletes. I've heard Saban preach "While you have freedom of choice you dont have freedom of consequences" many times and they bring in outside speakers on a routine bases to talk about moral issues. It is a fact that alot of these kids come from the inner city, broken homes and need a strong moral compass to guide them through to maturity.
    On this web site there are numberous disscussion on who was the greatest coach etc and I tried to indicate it more than wins & losses. While Saban is not as "likeable" in the media behind the scenes he's getting that job done, which will affect these kids, young men the rest of their lives.
    Auburn is a great school, incidents like should this give us pause and ask is there enough being done.

So in other words, Saban would have willed this to not happen at Bama...

More from this dipshit:

OLD SCHOOL BAMA FAN posted 3 minutes ago Contributor I

    Ok, both my kids graduated from AU so I know the school real well. First, where this took place is a well known for where AU football players live off campus and hang out. Believe me I know "fallen human nature" very well and realize individuals have to answer for their actions. Nothing to do with the Auburn football program? Two former players and one current player shot can't get anymore personal so to speak. At some point someone had a choice to walk away and not escaulate the situation, call the police, or stay.

Barrett responds:

How would mentoring programs have prevented the victims from going to an off-campus party - something that every college student does? What specific mentoring programs shelter college students to that degree? None. It doesn't happen. They don't exist.

Unbelievable.

[AUChizad]

Lars Anderson: One of the good ones.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/lars_anderson/06/11/auburn-shootings/index.html

Auburn community shaken in wake of senseless weekend killings

AUBURN, Ala. -- The trucks and cars were lined 34 in a row on a quiet street in Auburn, Ala., on Sunday evening, only yards away from where the blood was shed. Television broadcasters put on makeup, holding mirrors close to their well-coifed heads, while other reporters paced back and forth, looking at the crime scene tape and trying to understand what had happened here only hours earlier.

This is what we know: At 10:03 p.m. on Saturday, police in Auburn received word that multiple gunshots had been fired at the University Heights apartment clubhouse, where a pool party was being held. Minutes later arriving officers found Edward Christian, 20, an Auburn football player who was off the team because of an injury, dead on the scene. Former Tiger player Ladarious Philip, 20, and Demario Pitts, also 20, died later at a local hospital. Two other people, including current Auburn offensive lineman Eric Mack, 20, were taken to a hospital in Opelika, a nearby town. (Mack is expected to make a full recovery.)

According to reports, about 50 people were enjoying a carefree, relatively quiet night by the pool when an argument erupted over a woman. Words were exchanged and, minutes later, shots were fired. As of Monday morning, police were searching for Desmonte Leonard, 22, of Montgomery, Ala., who is charged with three counts of capital murder. Officials are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

After spending more than 12 hours in Auburn reporting on this tragedy -- talking to locals, police officers, hospital workers at a morgue, Tiger athletes -- it's clear this was nothing more than a senseless act of violence. This is not a story about a football program out of control or a narrative of players doing the wrong thing at the wrong hour. This is a tragic tale of someone having a gun -- someone who, according to police, was charged in 2008 with carrying a gun without a permit -- and using it with reckless and deadly abandon.

I'm based in Birmingham, and over the last three years I've spent a lot of time with Tiger coach Gene Chizik. His main pitch to recruits is that if they come to Auburn, they will be part of a tight-knit family. The notion of family flavors everything -- everything -- Chizik does at the school, from how he talks to players in his office to how he treats his assistants to how he'll often call a player's mother just to check in. With Chizik, a deeply religious man, the idea of family isn't merely lip service.

And so what transpired Saturday night shook the Auburn coach to his core. Chizik said he was "devastated" and labeled it a "sad, sad day for everyone associated with the Auburn family."

Late on Sunday afternoon, as a cold rain fell from the Southern sky, an Auburn fan stood across the street from where the killings had occurred. He had tears in his eyes. "Football is just so huge here and I don't think people in other parts of the country can grasp just what it means to our lives in Auburn," he said. "You never want this type of media coverage, but this was just a case of bloodlust and being stupid. People were killed and many, many lives were ruined for nothing. For nothing."

And then he kept walking, with his head down, through the rain.

[Tiger Wench]

SI.com gets it too - they are the ONLY ONES so far to point out that the guys who got into the argument with the shooter were not Auburn students or players.

Turquorius Vines, 23, said he was at the party Saturday evening at the University Heights apartments with one of his friend, Pitts. He said he and his friend were approached by two other men who started arguing with them over a woman.

Vines said he punched one of the men, while Pitts hit both of the men over the head with a bottle. Either one or both of the two men then started shooting, he said. He said Pitts was shot and killed, while two others also were hit by gunfire. Vines said he had never met the men he was arguing with.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/06/11/auburn-shooting.ap/index.html#ixzz1xVMFcr7o

[AUChizad]

SI.com gets it too - they are the ONLY ONES so far to point out that the guys who got into the argument with the shooter were not Auburn students or players.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/06/11/auburn-shooting.ap/index.html#ixzz1xVMFcr7o

Not exactly the only ones...

Only about 4,010 did.

It was an AP Story.

[AUChizad]

@chambc1: In Montgomery, officers took into custody Jeremy Thomas of Montgomery he was a person of interest. Gave false info to police.

@chambc1: 18-year-old Jeremy Thomas was at the shooting Saturday night, he is facing hindering prosecution.

[Snaggletiger]

A quick check of Desmonte Leonard has him with some child support and paternity cases.  He also has a 2009 Assault 2nd Degree and one carrying a pistol w/o a license in 2008.  I know this has nothing to do with it but I found it interesting that he's listed as 5'7" and 150 lbs.  I just get the picture of someone who thought he was gonna' show all these big, bad ass dudes wassup.

[Tiger Wench]

Not exactly the only ones...

It was an AP Story.

I meant versus ESPN and other "sports" reporting. There has been some SERIOUSLY selective editing in each of these articles based on the SAME AP report, depending on the reporter/website. 

[djsimp]

I meant versus ESPN and other "sports" reporting. There has been some SERIOUSLY selective editing in each of these articles based on the SAME AP report, depending on the reporter/website.

It seems the articles are coming into more of an alignment now. At least from what I've read.

[JR4AU]

Some fucking morons make me want to vomit!  If you're a redneck bammer, you have to hate Auburn, everything Auburn, and talk shit about it no matter what it is.  The fact that the "Arn Bole" and Nasheenul Champuychips is you're entire life means you have to make anything that happens like this at Auburn somehow reflect poorly on the Football program. So, you bring up Saybinz "mentoring programs" to show how that keeps his player from being random victims of violent crimes.  You have to assume the player that got shot "had it coming" or "started it".  And, when no credible source will tell you what you want to hear, you claim it's a "culture of cover up" down there.

FUCK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GODDAMN BAMMERS THAT EVEN MENTIONS DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM, OR HOW SAYBINZ PREVENTS THIS SHIT, OR HOW CHIZIK COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT, OR ANY OTHER STUPID FUCKING BULLSHIT YOU NEED TO BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU HATE AUBURN.  FUCKING SACKS OF WORTHLESS SHIT, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!  YOU'RE PATHETIC LIVES ATTACH EVERYTHING TO THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM AT BAMMER AND THE RIVALRY.  I'LL ECHO WHAT GH SAID, I'M TIRED OF EVEN BEING ASSOCIATED WITH BAMMER IN ANY WAY, EVEN IF IT'S JUST THROUGH BEING IN THE SAME STATE OR PLAYING THE GAME.  CANCEL THE IRON BOWL FOR ALL I CARE.   

[Saniflush]

Some fucking morons make me want to vomit!  If you're a redneck bammer, you have to hate Auburn, everything Auburn, and talk shit about it no matter what it is.  The fact that the "Arn Bole" and Nasheenul Champuychips is you're entire life means you have to make anything that happens like this at Auburn somehow reflect poorly on the Football program. So, you bring up Saybinz "mentoring programs" to show how that keeps his player from being random victims of violent crimes.  You have to assume the player that got shot "had it coming" or "started it".  And, when no credible source will tell you what you want to hear, you claim it's a "culture of cover up" down there.

FUCK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GODDAMN BAMMERS THAT EVEN MENTIONS DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM, OR HOW SAYBINZ PREVENTS THIS SHIT, OR HOW CHIZIK COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT, OR ANY OTHER STUPID FUCKING BULLSHIT YOU NEED TO BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU HATE AUBURN.  FUCKING SACKS OF WORTHLESS SHIT, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!  YOU'RE PATHETIC LIVES ATTACH EVERYTHING TO THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM AT BAMMER AND THE RIVALRY.  I'LL ECHO WHAT GH SAID, I'M TIRED OF EVEN BEING ASSOCIATED WITH BAMMER IN ANY WAY, EVEN IF IT'S JUST THROUGH BEING IN THE SAME STATE OR PLAYING THE GAME.  CANCEL THE IRON BOWL FOR ALL I CARE.

Something vexes thee?

[djsimp]

Something vexes thee?

No, I think his 'Caps Lock' got stuck.

[Snaggletiger]

Say it babe

[Godfather]

Something vexes thee?

I believe he needs a Tylenol.

[JR4AU]

I believe he needs a Tylenol.

I need bammers to disappear from the face of the earth. 

[djsimp]

I need bammers to disappear from the face of the earth.

I hear this guy may be available.